Page 63 of The Demon's Delight
“How close does one have to be for that to happen?” Vassago asked.
“Allmagic?” Rylan’s curiosity was piqued, his own book set off to the side in favor of our hasty conversation.
“I’m not sure. For either question. We’ve become somewhat acclimated to one another, enough that I can use my wings some again.”
“You lost your ability to fly?” Rylan frowned.
“Yes. And fully shift. I think given enough time, it’s possible I could even bring her through a portal, but we’re not there yet, and as it stands, I can’t activate them anywhere near her.”
“That’s… significant, Seir. Your abilities are completely inaccessible?” Vassago asked.
“It’s not her fault. Besides, when I first met her, I couldn’t use my wings at all, now I can at least hover.”
“Fascinating,” Rylan rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “A null. I’ll ask Magnus to check the archives, surely there’s something there.”
“That’s what his son said.”
“His son?” Calla asked, so intrigued by the conversation she’d moved to the slightest little edge of sofa cushion.
“Yes, we came across Coltor Aurichal in the ruins of Emankor. In our presence within that space, he also couldn’t shift. It was he who suggested she might be a null, as well.”
“You met Magnus’s son?”
“The Emankor ruins?”
“What kind of distance before it’s not effective?”
Questions poured out from all sides, and I laughed as I raised a hand to quiet them.
“One at a time, please!” I chuckled, holding my hands up in front of me as if that would help me ward off the barrage. “I truly am in a rush, besides. I wasted far more time in Hell than I wanted to, and she’s camped by herself in the empty grassland between the Emankor Valley and Ravenglen. It’s possible we’re being followed, though I’ve seen no signs.” I hadn’t seen any inthe first place, however, which left me doubting my ability to detect such a thing accurately.
“Camped? You’re truly traveling like a human?” Vassago’s head tilted, amusement playing across his features. “Is that why you’re smudged with dirt?”
“These clothes are fresh,” I argued. “But yes, truly.” I grinned back. “It’s been a wonderful experience!” Both of my brothers smiled back at me, and in that moment, I felt truly understood. New things were few and far between for creatures such as us, and I had always appreciated them more than most. “In any case, I wanted to see if there was a way to help her control her power. If she could turn it off, or even just relax the strength, that might be very beneficial. But to answer your questions: yes, yes, and I don’t know. Coltor seems nice enough, or did at least once we established we weren’t enemies. Indeed, the ruins. They’re fascinating, and I’d love to go back one day. And I’m not sure if it’s all kinds of magic. So far, it’s been effective on me and a stone kin but not on the powerful wards set around the ruins. We didn’t have accurate measurements to test distance for her range. So. Can you help?” They all stared. First at me, then at one another. I raised a finger. “Also, I’m pretty sure she’s my fated mate. Everything about me feels a little strange since I met her, and my chest is absolutely killing me right now. So really anything you can offer to help is greatly appreciated.”
Rylan and Vassago exchanged a knowing, open-mouthed look, and their wives perked up even further, particularly as I scrubbed my fist pointlessly across my shirt, trying to east the ache that refused to let up.
“Well, you could haveledwith that detail, Seir.” Vassago shook his head.
“Your mate?” Greta asked, coming around the table she was working at while wiping her hands on her heavy full-body apron. I wondered what chemicals she’d been working with, whatintriguing new alchemical solution she might be crafting. But it was not the time.
“Yes, I’m fairly positive. We’re both having the pains. She summoned me!” I said proudly, not elaborating on the details of the fond memory.
“Right,” Rylan said, blinking slowly as he stared at me. “Bring her here. It’s a risk, but we can surely manage the consequences. At the very least, we can take some measurements. Perhaps the stone kin can make a suggestion for the rest. Magnus can check the stone kin archives for records about nulls, and I can consult on the mage side. There’s bound to be something there.”
“Perhaps Ophelia can help?” Calla suggested, a kind smile on her mouth. “She’s invited us to visit, should we have a need. We could bring her with us? If she had no effect on the wards around the ruins, perhaps that’s the safest place for her this close to the city?” She raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in such an experiment.
“She didn’t overpower the wards at the ruins, but we both felt their effects. Once inside, she cancelled out Coltor’s abilities the same as mine.”
“I’ll check my books as well,” Greta offered. “There’s bound to be something in one of those old tomes about muting or suppressing a power like that.”
“So long as it doesn’t also hide her healing ability, that would be great.”
“Healing ability?” Vassago asked. He’d wandered over to his own table and was messing with a series of small mirrors.
“Yes, she fixed me right up. I broke my leg and had a wing bone puncture my gut on our way into the ruins.” They all just stared at me. “It’s a long story, but she was taken from her home in Ravenglen for that ability. Taken to Olinbourg and keptprisoner in a house there. Forced to use that ability for her captor’s profit.”
Calla gasped, but I could also see the rage in her start to manifest. She was an earth witch; a very powerful one. The ambient tendrils of green smoke dispersing as she exhaled told me how upset the idea of Hailon’s situation made her.
